The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-24
A BLOOD-THIRSTY FAMILY
A Murder Committed in Indiana by Rel
atiyes Of the kentucky Tolliyers.
The Story of the Crime Recalled by Efforts to
Procure Pardon for One Of the Murder
erS Now Serving a Life Sentence

Governor Gray has received petition for the
pardon of Bent Jones and Eli Lowery. who are
serving life sentences in the Jacksonville peni
Tertiary for the murder of Thomas Moody, IN
Orange county, which was the elimination of
one of the most desperate family feuds IN the
history of the State. The families the
Moodys and the Tollivers. TIE latter were
originally from Kentucky, and were distant
relatives of the blood thirsty Tollivers that have
so long been terrors in Rowan county. Both
families wealthy and influential The
elder Tolliver was the father of Mrs. Bent jones'
Mrs. Lee Jones, and Park, Tom and Sim Toll
liver. Bent Jones lived In Mitchell where he
employed a large number of mon in saw and
planning mill. He of influence and
determination. Tom Moody a bachelor.
The senior Tolliver became widower and mar
ried the maiden sister of Moody against the will
of his own family and that of the Moodys The
families gradually became bitter enemies.
When Tolliver's death occurred, and
a division of the property be
made. acts of violence began. The Tollivers
demanded that Mrs. Tolliver, the widow of the
deceased, should surrender all her rights
widow. She declined The sale came, and Bent
Jones attacked Tom Moody and gave him ter
The Tolliver family gave notice that Mrs. Toll
yer should surrender the estate or the entire
Moody family would be wiped from the face of
the earth. Numerous acts of violence followed,
until one night the farm house of the Moodys
was attacked by armed mob. led presumably
by Bent Jones, aud jugs filed with benzine were
thrown the windows, the torch applied and
the inmates fired upon whenever they showed
themselves at the windows. Tom Moody at
tempted to escape and was pierced with bullets
and left for dead upon the ground. The mob
then withdrew. and the property was partially
saved. Tom Moody recovered ard moved with
his family to Orleans for safety. There they
lived like prisoners for year more.
In the meantime the Toilivers continued
boasted that he would xiii Moody. Moody
night ventured from his home to his neighbor's
house to play game of cards. The streets
were apparently deserted when he started homo
late at night, but as he entering his door
yard he was fred upon from across the street
with shot guns, and he fell in his door mortally
wounded. He died few days afterward, and
suspicion at once fell upon the Tollivers. The
morning after the murder Bent and Lee Jones,
Eli Lowery and others procured a hand-car and
went from Mitchell to Orleans where they IN
dulged in a ubic jubilee over the death of their
enemy part of the waddine of the gun
found near the dead mans BODY, and it proved
to be piece of dodger advertising Bent
Joness business. The people rose against the
Tolivers and Jones, and detectives were en-
ployed to work up the case. Eli Lowery was
soon arrested, and Bent Jones the first TO
come to his release with a bond of $40 000 which
was refused. Shortly afterward followed the
arrest of Bent and Lee Jones, Tom Tolliver and
Park his brother Lowery turned States evil
dence, and the story he told was that the shoot
ing was done by Lee Jones and Park Tolllver
Bent jones' he saws did the plotting, and he
and Tom Toliyer accom- panied the murderers to
near Orange. whore they waited by the railroad
until the deed was committed Other evidence
went to show that there had been plot to get
Moody from his house on the fatal night.
The evidence brought out the fact that Bent
Jones prepared the used in killing
Moody, and he boosted that he annointed the
buck shot with poison rank thai it would mean
instant death to Moody. The verdict against
him was for life sentence. Lee Jones aft
erward tried in the same county and he received
a life sentence. the trial of Pork Tolliver tie
several years later and after it and the
jury was celebrating on a verdictahe made MS
escape on a fleet horse that was furnished him
at the court house door. The final conviction
occurred in 1879 The cases were all appealed
TO the Supreme Court. but relief came
It is said that many of the people who were
working for pardon for Lowery and Bent
Jones. The plea for Jones, filed with the Gov
ernor, states thst he is getting old and is in fail
ing health. For Lowery it is set forth that he
was q very young man at the time of his
citation with the Tollivers and was afraid to re-
secured . majority of the jurors who tried him
as signers TO his petition. besides the prosecu-
tor and judge, and therefore has strong hopes of
being released Governor Gray says he consid-
ers the crime for which tine men were convicted
among the worst that ever occurred in tb State,
and will consider very carefully the petitions
for pardon.